


into the trees

by falloutboiruto



Category: Boruto: Naruto Next Generations
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Character Study, Gen, Gen or Pre-Slash, HIS HEART GROWS THREE SIZES(not clickbait), Inspired by a The Cure song, Suicidal Ideation, free Mitsuki 2k19, mitsuki vs overcoming brainwashing and developing a sense of self-worth
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-22
Updated: 2019-09-22
Packaged: 2020-10-26 04:01:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,201
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20735909
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/falloutboiruto/pseuds/falloutboiruto
Summary: A different perspective on that one time where a possessed Shino-sensei lured Mitsuki and Boruto(and Shikadai, but Mitsuki isn't too preoccupied with him) out into the forest to kill them.-Episode 6 rewrite.





	into the trees

**Author's Note:**

> more mitsuki angst WOHOOO(?). this fanfic is mostly me trying to make sense of mitsuki's character during the ghost incident arc. i hope you'll like it lol. i took some liberties with the plot so this isn't a straight up scene-by-scene retelling of episode 6 jsyk
> 
> title from: a forest by the cure

The first day Mitsuki spent in Konohagakure had gone all according to plan. Even if a lot of the interactions he had with people, just in general, didn't sit well with him if he thought about them for too long. But he had in fact gotten fairly well-acquinted with Boruto, and that was all that mattered. Technically they didn’t even have to be actual friends. As per his parent’s instructions all he had to was;

1: find Boruto,

2: get close enough to him (Mitsuki's parent had, as previously stated, noted that their friendship didn’t have to be genuine from his side at all) to find out if he was the sun or not,

(2.5: also find out who was causing the chakra-draining incidents but _only_ if he had the time)

3: await further instructions.

So Mitsuki was already doing better than expected at this point in the mission. He had no idea what the further instructions could entail though, his imagination ranged from it being ordered to kill Boruto(he hadn’t decided what he thought of that possibility yet, but it did seem pretty unlikely), to staying in Konoha for good(seemed more probable). It didn't matter though, none of it did. Everything still felt like a dream-like haze he was just passing through. He didn’t expect to stay here for long, or even be alive for an extended period of time. He was entirely replaceable, so it didn't matter.

On the second day, he was asked to join Boruto and Shikadai in the forest to meet up with a newly possessed Shino-sensei. All and all, a concept that sounded quite interesting on paper. However, watching Boruto and Shikadai squabble and squirm pathetically to get away from Shino-sensei’s swarm of insects was ultimately a letdown. But there was a way to end it.

-

“Aw man, we’ve been out here since early morning,” Boruto huffed as he was catching his breath while they were hiding under the roots of a giant tree. “I’m getting hungry! You don’t suppose that pine cones are edible?”

“Interesting. You should try it,” Mitsuki said, remembering nothing about cooking pine cones in his own training. “However, I’m afraid that you’ll find it hard to get access to one since this seems to be a deciduous forest.”

“What does that word me-“ Boruto began, but Shikadai interrupted him.

“He means that all of the trees here have leaves and there are no pine trees _or_ pine cones for all that matter, Boruto," he explained. “Anyways, we are about to be killed by Shino-sensei’s insects! How can you even think about food?”

“I was joking!” Boruto pouted, but his loudly growling stomach betrayed that his question had been at least partway genuine.

“I wouldn’t worry about hunger too much," Mitsuki assured him. "Shino-sensei’s chakra-infused insects have spread far and wide across the forest by this point and there is no way out. We’ll surely perish here by his hand sooner than later. Unless…”

As he let his sentence trail off and be left dangling, Mitsuki took good notice of both Boruto's and Shikadai's current body language, as their reactions to the upcoming rest of his suggestion were bound to be very interesting. Human behavior was just so incredibly fascinating.

“Um, unless _what_?” Shikadai asked. He looked pale.

“Unless we kill him,” Mitsuki said. “I can do it if you'll let me. It would be relatively easy.”

At Boruto’s and Shikadai’s horrified stuttering reactions, he knew that this was pushing the envelope a bit. It wasn’t like he was lying, though. It really was the only way.

“No, there has to be another option,” Boruto said after a moment of silence, balling up his hands into fists, and went on to explain how they had previously dealt with the other ‘_Ghost Incidents’_ by just knocking the person out.

Mitsuki listened intently, as it gave him somewhat of a clue of what kind of creature they were dealing with. He looked forward to relaying this information to his parent later on, as they most likely would be very happy to hear it. But for some reason, imagining his parent becoming pleased with him made Mitsuki experience something else than his normal state of listless yet neutral boredom and nonchalance; a strange feeling he couldn’t quite identify.

“Anyway,” Shikadai said, halfway through formulating a strategy already. “Who should be the decoy? I suggest you, new kid. I’ve gotten the feeling that you’ve got a few tricks up your sleeve.”

“Yes, and it doesn’t matter if I end up dying, right?” Mitsuki said thoughtfully, stating the (to him) obvious truth.

“What? No, of course it matters if you die! What the hell?” Boruto said incredulously. “Don’t give up so soon! We’re all going to make it through this, you included_. I’ll_ be the decoy!” He patted Mitsuki on the shoulder, affirming him like they were already _friends_ of all things(Mitsuki didn't quite know if that was true, though). “No-one’s dying here. Not Shino-sensei, _not you_, not anyone," he repeated to drive the point home.

At this, Mitsuki went completely shell-shocked, as if Boruto had instead punched him in the face, tilted his world off its axis, and sent him reeling onto the ground. However, he couldn’t help to wish that Boruto would say it again, that he _mattered_, as it made him feel the very same surge in his chest as when he would think of making his parent proud of him.

Perhaps that emotion was called _happiness_.

Shikadai was suddenly talking, something about their new, improved, _mostly_ pacifistic game plan and Mitsuki decided that yes, he could indeed help out. He did have some hidden talents (just like Shikadai had guessed) and most importantly Shino-sensei was at this point unfamiliar with his fighting style. Maybe there was something to what Boruto had just said.

-

Mitsuki’s idea of ‘helping out’ hadn’t originally included running out of chakra at the bottom of a lake (after dragging Shino-sensei into it with him, electrocuting him, and throwing him onto the shore), but it wasn’t exactly unwelcome either. He just didn't care all that much. All his parent had told Mitsuki to care about was succeeding at his mission, and his parent had plenty to spare clones to use should he meet his untimely demise. So, Mitsuki decided to not fight drowning, but rather just give in.

And then Boruto saved him, or rather; tried to while putting himself in grave danger. Like Mitsuki was an actual regular person that _mattered_ and didn’t have plenty of replacements(but to be fair, this was knowledge Boruto wasn't privy to at this point which explained his thoughtful yet oh-so-foolish oversight in that department). Being perceived as having actual worth, any at all, turned out to be an incredibly curious and addicting experience.

Because of this, Mitsuki decided to stick around in Konoha(also, to just being _alive_ in general) and to subsequently attach himself like glue to Boruto, just in case he could get a glimpse of it again. It was just such a nice thought(even if it just simply wasn’t accurate at all) to fool himself with again, and again, and again-

The End

**Author's Note:**

> please leave kudos and comments if you like dis!


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